Bible

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“No Fault Insurance”


In early 1970 comedian Flip Wilson’s debuted his famous skit  “The devil* Made Me Do It”.

“___ made me do it”

It was funny but, in a sad way so true.   When we are doing something wrong we blame the devil*.  It’s human nature to blame “the other guy”; your kids do it all the time don’t they?  Where do you think they get it?  Kids learn from us initially.  Oh, sometimes they learn it at school, off the TV or from the videos.  But, it boils down to they learn it from you.  Even if you do not do it, if you do not stop them from doing something wrong, then you have taught them wrong.

It is sad that so many are living in sin when we have the manual on how not to sin in hundreds of languages all over the world.  The Bible tells us who sins, what is sin and what the consequences of sin are.  Blame it on your upbringing?  Blame it on genetics?  Blame it on the devil?

Here is how I explain sin.  My family has a history of alcoholism in previous generations.  My father, the youngest of eight children, watched all of his elder siblings drink themselves to death.  Between the ages of 10-12 years of age, I attended so many funerals of my father’s siblings and offspring … all related to alcohol.  My father never drank.  It was obvious there was a genetic tendency to alcoholism.  My dad chose NOT to give into that tendency and he never allowed alcohol in our home.  He raised us all knowing we had that tendency as a possibility.  My oldest brother chose to ignore dad’s teachings and has ruined his life with alcohol (as well as his family’s lives).  When we choose to disobey, we choose to sin; we choose the consequences.  Sadly, we inflict those consequences on all those around us; family and even innocent bystanders (drunk drivers ruin innocent lives daily and walk away unscathed).  So, who is to blame?  God?  Certainly not.  Genetics … bad home live … poor environment … the bottom line is, it is your choice.  Why would anyone choose to be a drunk, ruin their life, be mocked, hated and shunned?  Bottom line, because they choose to, no one makes them, they choose their life.  I chose never to taste alcohol, never to allow it in my life.  My choice.  I am not perfect.  I have other sins I have to choose not to do as well.  I have an all powerful God to strengthen me and help me with my choices.  I cannot do it in my own strength.  I have to choose to sin; only I can choose to stop sinning.  One step leads to the next but, the first step is always your choice, make it.  Once you make that first step, get help if you need it.  Sometimes people need help and there are wonderful organizations, support groups, doctors, etc. out there to help.  But it takes your choice to take the first step to stop sinning.

WHO SINS?: Romans 3:23(NASB) “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”  1 John 1:8 (KJV) “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

WHAT IS SIN?: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11(ESV) “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.    1Timothy 1:8-16(ESV) “ 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. 12 I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life.

WHY IS IT SIN?:Isaiah 59:1-2 (HCSB) “Indeed, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear.
2 But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you
so that He does not listen.”

HOW CAN WE BE SAVED FROM SIN?: 1 Peter 2:24 (NASB) “…and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Romans 10:9(HCSB) “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” 2 Peter 3:9 (HCSB) “The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.”  John 3:16 (KJV) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”

All sin separates us from God.  There are no ‘worse’ sins, my sin makes me as big a sinner as the next person, although some sins have more consequences here on earth.  If you sin, you chose to sin; you choose to be separated from God.  You, and you alone, choose your consequences here on earth… and ultimately in eternity.  Don’t blame “the other guy, you’re upbringing, etc.”, you have a choice.

*devil, satan – I know people capitalize the “S” or “D” but, I don’t.  I refuse to give him any status of importance.  He’s a snake, so satan, devil, etc. are lower case, as he is one.

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Never quite good ’nuff …. never.


So get over it … you are never going to be good enough in your own eyes … for yourself, for your family or especially for God.  But, that’s okay.  So get over it … now.

… and get over it!

God doesn’t love you because you are going to be perfect in Heaven.  He does not love you because you are getting better every day, or as L’Oreal says, “you’re worth it”.  Get over ‘self’ and telling God your sorry you are not being the child of God He expects.

“I cannot make myself right with God; I cannot make my life perfect. I can only be right with God if I accept the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift. Am I humble enough to accept it? I have to surrender all my rights and demands, and cease from every self-effort. I must leave myself completely alone in His hands, and then I can begin to pour my life out in the priestly work of intercession. There is a great deal of prayer that comes from actual disbelief in the atonement. Jesus is not just beginning to save us— He has already saved us completely. It is an accomplished fact, and it is an insult to Him for us to ask Him to do what He has already done.” ~ Oswald Chambers

Do not let satan* lie to you and convince you cannot do something because you are not good enough.  Do not consume prayer time everyday telling God how worthless you are and how sorry you are that you are not being a better Christian. There is a time for that, repentance … but, it is not a crutch for not praying for others or doing the work He calls you to do.  Spend your prayer time in intercession for others and God will complete His work in you.  I will not go into how the Bible directs us to pray (you can read that blog at “Now I Lay Me”.)

Remember, God made you, He saved you. Now move on and do not be stagnant.

“I know the One I have believed in and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12b HCSB
 

Self pity, self-doubt … anything that begins with ‘self’, is going to get you off course.  It keeps you from claiming His power.  If you don’t, then you will raise children who do not understand His power.  Do not fall into satan’s* trap of lies.  God loves you just as you are.  Claim His love, His power and step out in faith.  Otherwise you sit and sour.  At the risk of repeating myself (but, it bears repeating), re-read “JUST DO IT”  if you need too.

Philippians 4:13 (NASB) “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

*satan – I know people capitalize the “S” but, I don’t.  I refuse to give him any status of importance.  He’s a snake, so satan, devil, etc. are lower case, as he is one.
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Look out for the waves …


The child is playing in the surf, standing near the ever watchful parent (hopefully).  The parent sees the wave and lifts them up just in time saying, “whee” to transfer joy instead of fear into the little one’s mind.

You walk along the surf, your mind emptying its thoughts along the sand.  You never saw it coming, the wave knocks you off your feet.  You tumble and roll, gaining your footing momentarily only to have a second wave grasp you and take you down.  There’s that moment of fear, you want to fight back, you want to survive … a hand reaches you and lifts you up.

Oh to be the child again, always having a hand there to keep you lifted above the waves.  As children we do not have to keep an eye out, that is what parents do.  But, as adults we lose our peripheral vision on our own lives.  We get tunnel vision and never see the waves of life coming until it is too late and the big wave of life takes us under.  Then floundering around grasping for anything thing to keep us afloat, we reach out for anything and everything.  Sadly that takes many further out to sea.

The best way to survive waves is to prepare for them.  I love to walk the shore line, but if the water is rough, I go to the sandbars to keep me protected.  The Christian life is like that as well.  Waves are coming, it is part of life.  God allows them, not to knock you down and drown you, but to teach you to rely on Him.  He IS your sandbar.  When you stray off the safety of His path, He’s there waiting to guide you back.  When you allow the waves to wash you out to sea, He’s your lighthouse in the storm.  The lighthouse never moves, you simply have to look towards Him, move towards Him.

You moved, He didn’t.

You know the way, you see the way, you have to admit what needs to be done and swim back towards the Lighthouse.  He will guide, His light reaches out to you.

Psalm 27:1 NLT
“A psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation–so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”

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“Teacher’s Pet”


You either have been or knew someone that was “the teacher’s pet”.  

They even made a movie about it once upon a time.  Favorite, we all want to be one.  We all have one, not just teacher’s.

In the Bible, “pets” or favorites, caused many problems.  Genesis 25 relates what happens when parents play favorites as did Isaac and Rebekah.  In Matthew 20 we read of a mother in verse 21 that says, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”  She wanted her sons given favor over the others.

“Pets”, favorites, going to the same people over and over.  The teacher does it, the parent does it, the employer does it, the choir director, the pastor, the ….. EVERYONE.  We all have favorites.  Sometimes when we repeatedly go to the same people we bypass more deserving people, hurting them; and we shortcut God’s ministry by not giving Him the opportunity to bless through others.

We all can set aside our preferences and allow God to use everyone He will.  As a parent, you can bless your children by going to the one “least likely”.   Even if you have only one child, you can set aside yourself or spouse by allowing God to use them.  Tap into the strength of others, not your usual “go to” people.  That may be a child, a student, an employee, someone in your church.   Do not ignore the “inkling” to ask someone to do something by thinking through it and convincing yourself you could do it better, or someone else could do it better.  God loves to use those we deem weaker vessels, perfect for the job in His eyes.

Validate others, even if you could do it better yourself.   You may be surprised to find the result far exceeds anything that could have resulted from you or others.   Moses was called out as a leader (Exodus 4) and asked for Aaron’s help doubting what God could do in him, the weak vessel.  How often do we shortcut God and make a hindrance to His work.

Today, if God gives you the opportunity, let Him take someone you view ordinary and make them extraordinary.

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My Get Up and Go …


Got up and went.

Ever feel this way? You know, when your day is done (or maybe just begun) and your get up and go, got up and went.

Know the feeling?  We are always on the run, here, there …. everywhere.  Hurry, hurry, hurry.  We have such a frantic schedule, especially when we have children at home.   My mother use to say she met her self coming when she was going.  Think on that one for a minute.

Other sayings from the South:

* running around like a chicken with their head cut off

* they won’t know they’re dead until they lay down three days later

We live life to the fullest.  So full, we overflow into utter exhaustion and yet seem to get little done.  Another saying: “Take time to smell the roses”.   Oh, we can quote them, but can we live them?  Each generation reflects back to when life was simpler … oh, for the good ol’ days.

Is it any wonder we do not hear answers to prayers?  We are too busy to slow down and listen and follow instructions.

In John 9 Jesus met a blind man. The man wanted to be healed.  Jesus placed mud on his eyes and told him to GO and he WENT.

JOHN 9:6-7  6  “After saying this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” He told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.”

The man had to put action to his faith in this instance.  Jesus showed him to listen, follow and do.  Oh, we listen when we take the time to hear.  But do we follow?  Do we put any action to our faith?  Do we “GO”?

Today as you are hurrying around to the point that your “get up and go, got up and went” (in other words you are exhausted), think on what God has asked of you to do.  Have you been too busy to hear His still quite voice leading you?  What did you hear?  Did you say, “I don’t have time, or later Lord?  Maybe not in so many words, but in your actions that is what you say, right?  If you put as much into His schedule as you do your own … if when He asked you to “GO” you got up and “WENT”.  What might you see happen?